BEOWULF

1
BEOWULF
  BEOWULF
 

• written in Old English sometime before the tenth
  century A.D., describes the adventures of a great
  Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century.
• A rich fabric of fact and fancy, Beowulf is the
  oldest surviving epic in British literature.
• exists in only one manuscript. This copy
  survived both the wholesale destruction of
  religious artifacts during the dissolution of the
  monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire
  which destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce
  Cotton (1571-1631).
• The poem still bears the scars of the fire,
  visible at the upper left corner of the
  photograph. The Beowulf manuscript is now housed
  in the British Library, London.

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Roman influences

• The Romans invaded Britain in 55 BC and brought
  government, roads, villas, and public baths. As
  time passed, they replaced the old Celtic
  religion with Christianity. When they left in 410
  AD, they took the cohesiveness of their
  government with them and left the island country
  open once again to invaders from foreign lands.

3
Alfred the Great

• Alfred the Great led his people against Danish
  invaders, providing some cohesion for the
  Anglo-Saxon people. This was a time of invasion
  and a time of warfare, a time of heroes and
  monsters, treasure and dragons.
• In Beowulf, you will discover that bards or scops
  chronicled the heroics of the warriors to
  preserve the deeds and the pride of the people
  we still read Beowulf 1300 years after it was
  written.

4
Anglo Saxon poetry

• Anglo-Saxon poetry has the following
  characteristics
• The lines do not rhyme. In this respect
  Anglo-Saxon poetry is like blank verse.
• The rhythm of a line depends primarily on the
  number of beats or accented syllables. Each line
  has four beats.
• Reflected the juxtaposition of the Church and the
  pagan world
• Each line has a pause or caesura after the second
  beat. Thus, each line is divided into two halves,
  each half having two beats.
• Alliteration is an important element in
  Anglo-Saxon poetry. One or more accented
  syllables in the first half of a line almost
  always alliterate with one or more accented
  syllables in the second half. Thus alliteration
  binds together the two halves of a line.
• The use of kennings, phrases that are an
  elaborate and indirect way of naming persons,
  things, or events, is another important
  characteristic of Anglo-Saxon poetry. It was a
  distinctive element of Anglo-Saxon poetry. For
  instance the sea is called "the pathless deep"
  and the body is the souls "prison house."
  Hrothgar is referred to as "the Scydings friend"
  and Grendel is the "man-devourer." Sometimes a
  kenning was unusual and would force the audience
  to be alert and use its wits. Sometimes it was a
  synonym that had been used many times before,
  such as a "ring-giver" in reference to the king
  or "wave skimmer" in reference to a ship. An
  Anglo-Saxon audience hearing of Beowulfs
  determination to "Oer the swan-road" would know
  that he meant to travel over the sea.
• Tendency toward didacticism or a tendency to
  instruct on a moral lesson.

5
Epic Poetry

• Characteristics of Epic Poetry
• 1. Long2. Narrative3. Larger than life hero4.
  Embodies values of a particular society5.
  Includes elements of myth, legend, folklore,
  history6. Has a serious tone7. Uses more
  formal, almost grand language

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• Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon culture
• bravery in battle
• loyalty for king or leader
• bards or poets were used to elevate heroes of the
  tribes and were usually as important as the
  warriors themselves
• faith in God to intervene positively with fate
• influence of old religionpaganism
• warfare was the order of the day
• amassing a fortune in battle

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Anglo Saxon Ideals Love of glory was a ruling
motiveAllegiance to the king or lord is
cherished and demanded.Reverence for
womanhoodprecursor to chivalryis expectedThere
is a great love for personal freedomOpen handed
hospitality is the order of the day.Truth is a
highly cherished virtue.Sentiments are usually
suppressed
8
Sutton Hoo

• Sutton Hoo is a large cemetery that was reserved
  for the aristocracy of the 7th century kingdom of
  East Anglia. Located near what is now Suffolk,
  England, the cemetery was used by pagans who
  "made conscious reference to burial practices in
  Scandinavia as well as to Britains own
  prehistoric past."
• In 1939 a ship burial was discovered at Sutton
  Hoo, in a way, confirming the accuracy of the
  description of the burial of Scyld Scefing.  The
  find, though it lacked a body, was undisturbed
  and contained a helmet, shield, sword, buckle,
  sceptre, lyre and various vessels, all of
  exceptional quality and craftsmanship.  It is
  believed that this grave or cenotaph belonged to
  the East Anglian King Rædwald, who died in AD
  624/5.